There are a growing number of cases of surgical procedures performed to repair, reconstruct, replace, or otherwise treat ligaments, such as anterior cruciate ligaments (“ACL”) and posterior cruciate ligaments (“PCL”). However, surgeons performing such procedures have difficulty, for example, in properly placing grafts or performing other surgical steps.
In the case of ACL and PCL grafts, placement of the associated tunnels to house the grafts can be difficult. For example, grafts placed too far anteriorly on the femur are reportedly a common cause of failure in ACL reconstruction. Some studies suggest that more precise placement of the femoral tunnel would improve kinematics. More accurate placement of the tibial and femoral tunnels may reduce the incidence of graft failure and may reduce long-term degeneration observed after reconstruction. There are other difficulties associated with such procedures. For example, in some cases it can be difficult to locate the tissue from which a graft is to be extracted, or to properly size the graft.